Córdova To Lead CASIS Space Organization

Group Oversees ISS Scientific Experiments

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – The first Board of Directors for the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) has been chosen.

Dr. France Córdova has been chosen as Chair of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). (Image courtesy of CASIS)

CASIS, the nonprofit organization promoting and managing research on board the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory has designated Dr. France Córdova as the group’s chairperson.

As Chair, Córdova will serve as the CASIS Board spokesperson, and will preside over future meetings of the organization’s new permanent board.

Córdova is President Emerita of Purdue University, where she holds the position of professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Her previous positions include Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California at Santa Barbara, NASA’s Chief Scientist, Department Head at the Penn State University, and Deputy Group Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Since her days as a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, she launched rocket and satellite payloads and authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific and policy papers.

“I am honored to have been selected as chair of the CASIS Board of Directors and I am eager to work with such accomplished and experienced individuals,” said Córdova. “We all affirm the importance of the CASIS mission – to maximize utilization of the ISS – and plan to put our networks and abilities to bear to lead this organization.”

The CASIS Interim Director was happy to see Córdova was selected to lead the group.

“France holds more than three decades of high-level management and scientific experience, and was a clear choice for the other Board members,” said CASIS Interim Executive Director Jim Royston. “In addition to France, we have a brilliant group of professionals that are enthusiastic and equipped to guide the organization.”